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Victor Sherkness' Russian-born grandmother brought her recipes along with many stories to the United States from her homeland.

Among those recipes was her fruitcake, which Sherkness named for his Babushka, or grandmother in Russian.

"Supposedly, she worked in the tsar's kitchen," the McAdoo man said. "She came to this country when she was 16."

As the story goes, Christine Hruniuk worked in the fields until Tsar Nicholas II approached her and told her she should be working in his palace instead. Sherkness believes she would have been in her early teens at the time, he said.

She told stories about how workers would parade the food before the tsar, and one day a cake came out of the kitchen with a piece missing, sending the tsar into a rage.

He asked who did this, and Sherkness' grandmother stepped forward, he said. The tsar took her into the kitchen and asked her why she would do this.

"I just wanted a taste," she replied.

The tsar pulled out a large knife and sliced through the cake, and pushed the two ends together so it appeared the cake was whole.

"Next time you want a taste, do this," he told her, according to Sherkness, who said his grandmother adored the tsar.

He keeps his grandmother's memory alive by sharing the stories she told him and making her Old World recipes, especially the fruitcake.

The original recipe didn't have maraschino cherries or pineapple - Babushka added those, he said.

"She didn't like the candied fruit," Sherkness said. "She liked the cherries in a jar better."

And the cake is loaded with them - three 16-ounce jars, but Sherkness defies anyone to find them in the more than 5-pound cake.

"It seems like a lot of cherries, but it'll look like there is none in there," said Sherkness, who made dozens of cakes as Christmas gifts for friends one year.

"It's out of this world," he said, adding friends now line up at his door for a slice.

The recipe starts with the cherries, cut in half and allowed to drain well. Sherkness brings a box of raisins and 3 cups of water to a boil on the stove, allowing the raisins to boil for a minute or two before draining them and reserving the liquid, which goes into the cake.

Butter, sugar and eggs are creamed together, and the flour, baking soda, baking powder and spices are sifted and added in along with the reserved raisin water.

Sherkness tosses the drained raisins, cherries, nuts and dates with a quarter cup of flour, and adds that mixture to the batter, which then goes into a greased and floured tube pan. The cake bakes in a moderate oven for up to 2 hours.

Most fruitcakes are soaked in spirits after baking, and Sherkness has done this in the past, but believes the cake is good on its own.

"You could rum it up or brandy it up," he said. "No matter which way you do it, it's still good."

Sherkness' grandmother didn't soak the cake in alcohol either, he said. "But she did drink a glass of vodka with it."

For sharing his family recipe, Sherkness, whose wife is a previous Local Flavor contest winner, will receive a $25 gift card.

kmonitz@standardspeaker.com

Babushka's Fruitcake

½ pound butter

1¼ cup sugar

3 cups plus ¼ cup flour

5 eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla

Pinch salt

1 15-ounce box golden raisins

3 16-ounce jars maraschino cherries

1 small can, or ½ of a 15-ounce can, pineapple tidbits, drained

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

¼ teaspoon cloves

1 cup chopped walnuts

1 cup chopped dates

Boil raisins in 3 cups of water for 1 to 2 minutes. Drain, reserving liquid for the cake batter. Cool. Cut cherries in half; drain well.

In a separate bowl, combine drained raisins and cherries, nuts and dates. Add ¼ cup flour and toss well to coat. Fold fruit into batter.

Pour batter into a greased and floured tube pan and bake at 400 F for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 375 or 350 F, and bake for 1½ to 2 hours.

Place foil over the top of the cake during the last three-quarters of cooking time to prevent burning.

Cool, and store covered, unrefrigerated.

From Victor Sherkness, McAdoo

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